The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-01-12
For THE CLARIoS.1
A BOYS DIARY.
BY IDA TYNEs HARVEY.

am going to keep diary. 1 heard
Squire Meeks tell pa only two days ago
that all smart men kept diaries; and he
started one when young man. Now il
ne had started one when boy like me,
he might have been Bob Taylor, OF
Tennessee, or Henry Grady, of Atlanta.
Anyway, if keeping diaries make men
smart, it will make boys smart, too, So
by the time am as big as pa / will buy
d ship and sail away like MIR. q. Column
bus and discover a new America where
ooys are treated respectfully. Here they
nave no peace of their lives. You have
20 give an account of deeds done in The
body Just the same as if it was judgment
day. | don't like this close questioning.
1t makes boy unreliable. Some folks
think boys have no business with eyes
and ears, and when you tell boy what
TO say, and he says it, they are mad.
Just like ma was yesterday, when Mr..
Puff box called to see Sis. Ma told me
TO 90 down and tell him Sis. was not at
home. / went as straight as | could,
and said, "Mr. Pufbox, Ma says Sis
says she is not at home" Ma was "a
the head of the stairs and heard exactly
what | said. / knew that was not tell
ing things to go heaven on, but ma said
tell it and so did |. When the front
door closed, ma says, "Ja-key." Now
that is my name, and don't mind
being called by it, but when ma kinder
divides it and takes it in her mouth like
it wasn't fit for decent boy to nave. /
kinder feel bilious, for l know from ex-
perience what such accepting means.
walked up stairs and followed ma into
her room and she shut the door.
The next day the school teacher asked
ME why took such strange position
why did not sit like the other boys. /
told him it was for the want of some
thing to sit on As | said just now, a
boy that keeps out of trouble has no use
for eyes and ears.
The day ma had the Toppots to dine
with her, | was down in the kitchen and
saw the cook skim three flies out of the
pudding; one got stirred under before
she could shove him off. When the
company was at the table and ma was
pouring the coffee into the new tea cups
She gave such big price for, and pa got
all-fring mad about, but ma said they
were style and she must have them if
pa plowed up the place. Everybody
was enjoying the nice things ma had
| been all the week cooking, when Mrs.
| Toppots patted me on the head and
said, l was an "uncommonly bright
| boy" and asked me how | was "enjoy-
ing the pudding" / told her it was
much better than | thought it would be
| when ! saw cook "stir in the hy.o She
kinder coughed and put her napkin up
to her mouth like she had something in
it that was hot, and pushed her plate to
one side. Pa seemed TO he looking for
something on the floor. Sis looked
white and scared, and ma turned red in
the face. ] could not imagine what was
the matter. / thought we were all
poisoned; but / knew we were not at a
Sunday School picnic, so felt relieved,
and says, Mrs. Toppots, have some
more pudding" "Ja-key," says ma,
Is'go right up to my room and remain
until | call for thee" 1t was not the
number of words used-they were few
but they spoke volumes. The pudding
4 in nv mouth refused to go down as
stole from my chair, and my shadow in
that room was thing of the past. The
i yenitian mirror in mas room, with its
| velvet and lace hangings, reflected the
form of q poor, uneasy boy. You would
have called yourself cheated man il
you had snapped raw-boned, sore-back
Texas mustang for Kentucky racer il
had been thrown In as boot, you would
have gone home weak and tired with
your bargain. The next half hour to
me was one of anxiety; but it settled
down TO a sad certainty when ma came
in. She closed the door. For the mex
fifteen minutes you might have thought
some one was tally ing scores for q base
ball game, or that a Charleston earth
louake held possession of that one room
Of our house; but such was not the
case there was not soul IN that room
but ma and me-just us two. Ma seemed
to get sorry and held up, and says
aJa-kev. do you think you can contro
your tongue nowF' "Yes, man, SAP.
III. ale that keepeth his mouth ane
tongue, keepeth his soul from trouble,
lAJa-key.n saws ma, "Yes, man., says /
Ma looked tired and ] did not feel Iik,
arguing
| Not only my soul seemed troubled
hut the rest of me felt considerable,
troubled too. aMa, says l, Il am goinl
West, ssJa-key.' says ma, IF you 50.
Ego West to me again you will lind you
remnants 50 scattered over that bacl
yard, there will not be enough OF ycs
/ left to 20 West or East either dom
know what ma meant by remnants,
but guess ! won't 60 West
All this comes of boy having eyes
, and the same eyes Janey Stokes sal
, were 20 beautiful the morning scare'
Tie milk COW out Of the road and helpe'
her III the fence and walked BY her :
| -rh<nf She said ANYBODY to look